Danny's Girl
by sparkywriter
Summary: Steve & Danny's friendship is tested by an unwelcome addition to the 5-0 team.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer – I don't own Hawaii Five-O. If I did, Steve McGarrett would be shirtless all the time. And they wouldn't be covering up any of AOL's tattoos. I'm just toying with the characters for a while.

Summary - Steve & Danny's friendship is tested by an unwelcome addition to the 5-0 team.

* * *

Prologue

A yellow cab stopped just shy of Steve McGarrett's front door. He exited the cab, stumbling just slightly. One hand steadied himself on the roof of the cab while the other dug in his back pocket for his wallet. He handed the driver a $50 bill with a sigh and a weary "keep the change."

As the driver peeled away, the Commander stumbled toward the front stoop. He ran a hand through his hair and down his face. As he approached the door, a blurry form caught his attention. He blinked several times and forced himself to focus. Danny. Steve sighed again and looked up to the sky before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Hey," he said hesitantly, watching as Danny fingered a small dark velvet box as he sat on the small step in front of the door.

"You know what's in here?" Danny asked by way of a greeting.

Steve watched as the fire in his partner's eyes alternately flared from murderous anger to embers of utter despair. "I can guess."

"A ring," Danny stated plainly, ignoring Steve's reply. "A ring for Claire. Yeah, I asked her to marry me. Did the whole thing, ya know?" he said as his hands gestured wildly, "Rose petals, romantic music, candles, me down on one knee. And Claire, she's crying and I'm thinking 'wow, this is the best day of my life because the woman I love is gonna say yes'…"

"Danny," Steve interrupted. Danny held up his finger to silence his partner.

"They weren't happy… Claire's tears. They weren't happy, she wasn't…happy. And do you know _why _they weren't happy tears, Steven?" Danny asked; the sadness behind his eyes blazing to anger again as his voice grew tight.

"Yes," Steve said; his voice barely a whisper.

Danny rose from the step and crossed the small porch to Steve. One hand gripped the box furiously while the other balled into a fist. He shook his head. "Say it, Steven," he demanded thinly. "Say it. I need for you to say it."

Tears stung the Commander's eyes as the full realization of his betrayal played out in his best friend's eyes. "I'm sorry, Danny, I…"

"No!" Danny thundered, his fists pushing at Steve's chest, slamming him into a wood column on the porch. "You don't _get_ to be sorry. Say it."

"Danny," Steve tried again, his voice tinged with desperation.

"Say it!" Danny's voice broke with the weight of his demand.

Steve closed his eyes and took a long, steading breath as any benefit of his night of binge drinking suddenly disintegrated into a spinning universe that seemed to be rapidly gaining speed. He opened his eyes to the full fury of Danny Williams' anger.

"I kissed Claire."


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer – I don't own Hawaii Five-O. If I did, Steve McGarrett would be shirtless all the time. And they wouldn't be covering up any of AOL's tattoos. I'm just toying with the characters for a while.

This will be another short chapter, just kind of setting things up. Thank you so much for the reviews and story alerts, I'm honored you all took the time to read and review.

* * *

8 months earlier

Steve McGarrett angled his truck into an empty spot in front of 5-0's downtown headquarters. His eyes involuntarily rolled as he saw Governor Denning's unmarked black sedan idling in front of the office. "Unbelieveable", he muttered, slamming the gear shift into park and stepping forcefully on the parking brake.

He swung the door open and grabbed the travel mug of coffee Catherine had made him as he left the house. His boots hit the pavement below and he groaned as the sense of dread that hit the minute he saw the Governor's vehicle multiplied with every step he took closer to Headquarters.

Steve took a deep breath as he reached for the door handle. He pulled it open, releasing the breath slowly to find Kono on the other side of the door.

"Morning, Boss," she said with a wry smile.

"Not _good_, then, I take it?" Steve asked with a smirk.

Kono laughed. "The Governor has a present for us."

"Oh good," Steve answered sarcastically. "We haven't gotten a present from the Governor in a while. Where's Danno?"

The young cop grinned and cocked an eyebrow at her boss before answering, "Making nice with the present." She couldn't help the laugh that escaped as Steve groaned again.

He yanked the glass door open and motioned for Kono to go through before following. Governor Denning leaned casually against the smart table, smiling and speaking to Chin. Danny sat opposite a blonde woman, his eyes wide, grin radiant, wearing a look Steve had seen before on his partner & best friend – love, or rather, lust at first sight.

"Commander!" Denning said brightly, turning his attention to Steve. Danny caught his boss' attention and the blonde turned in her seat. Had Steve not instantly pegged her as Denning's new 5-0 "babysitter", he might have found her attractive. Emerald green eyes, perfect medium complexion, long sandy blonde hair that framed her face like a halo…okay, yeah, he found her attractive. But, she was still the enemy as far as he was concerned.

Denning stepped up to Steve and extended his hand. Danny and the blonde rose from the desk and made their way over to the Governor. "Commander McGarrett, I'd like you to meet Assistant State's Attorney Claire Ellis. I'm assigning her to 5-0, effective immediately."

The blonde extended her hand in greeting; but Steve recoiled like he'd been burned. "Governor, with all due respect," he spat out, "we don't need another babysitter."

Denning, Claire and Danny all began speaking at once.

"Babysitter?" Claire asked incredulously.

"Steven!" Danny admonished.

"McGarrett," the Governor warned.

Steve held up both hands in surrender. "I apologize if I've spoken out of turn, but Governor, why would you be assigning 5-0 an Assistant State's Attorney if not to serve as your new watchdog over this office?"

Governor Denning scratched his goatee and eyed the Commander warily. "And here I thought I was doing 5-0 a favor by providing a direct line to the State's Attorney's office for those search warrants you keep neglecting to get."

"We've never had a case go bad because we didn't get a search warrant," Steve argued.

"You've never had a case go bad because the State's Attorney is a hell of a lawyer with a hell of a team behind him," the petite blonde answered. "Consider yourself lucky I'm here, Commander."

"Lucky?" Steve scoffed, his blue eyes wide in disbelief. Danny turned away and ineffectively swallowed a laugh. The Governor didn't bother to hide his smirk as he patted Steve on the shoulder and made his way to the door. "See, you two are gonna get along great."

TBC...


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer – I don't own Hawaii Five-O. If I did, Steve McGarrett would be shirtless all the time. And they wouldn't be covering up any of AOL's tattoos. I'm just toying with the characters for a while.

* * *

_Later that morning_

"All I'm saying is give the woman a chance," Danny yelled as the argument that had been brewing between the partners all morning erupted the moment they slid into Danny's silver Camaro. "She is a very nice person."

"Ellis is not a 'very nice person', she's a lawyer," Steve countered as the vehicle's speed increased in direct correlation to his blood pressure. "And worse, she's Denning's lawyer."

"Claire is not Denning's lawyer…" Danny began.

"So it's Claire, huh? You two already on a first name basis?"

Danny's hands balled into fists as he tried to keep his temper in check and not take a swing at his best friend, which would most likely end with their deaths, factoring in the rate of speed the car was traveling and the extremely solid concrete interstate support beams they were flying by so fast they looked like twigs. "Yes, we are on a first name basis, Steven. It's called being polite, and welcoming…"

"Welcoming?" Steve scoffed. "Yeah, you looked like you wanted to welcome her into _your_ Barry White club."

"My Barry White club?" the detective asked incredulously. "Are you serious?"

"You were undressing her with your eyes," Steve replied. "Her first order of business might be slapping you with a sexual harassment suit."

"You, my friend, need to get your hormones in check," Danny retorted. "I was not undressing Claire with my eyes…"

"See, there you go again, 'Claire'…" Steve mocked.

Danny slammed one fist into the dashboard. "Stop…interrupting…me…" he threatened.

"I'm _not_ interrupting…" Steve yelled before glancing at his partner and shutting his still open mouth mid-way through the word "you".

Danny's phone rang and he dug it out of his pocket. He read the display quickly before answering, "Hi, Claire."

Steve started to groan but was forced to swallow it as Danny's fist connected with his chest, resulting in a faint "ooof."

"Thank you, Claire. No, I know, that's great. Yeah, so easy. I agree, this is gonna be great for all of us. Yeah, okay. Thank you, again, by the way. Okay, yeah, I'll talk to you later."

He disconnected the call and turned to Steve. "The warrant is in. Kono has it and will meet us there."

"How is it possible you are already so whipped by this woman you JUST met?" Steve replied.

Danny muttered something obscene under his breath.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"I said, why aren't you happy that we are going into this arrest _legally_? Not with guns blazing and then having to tell the State's Attorney's office, 'Oops, my bad'?"

"'My bad?'', the Commander countered, "The terms 'full immunity and means' mean I don't have to say 'My bad'!"

"I think Claire is the Governor's way of saying you have used up your full immunity, my friend."

"Yeah?' Steve asked curiously, "did you decide that before or after you turned our babysitter into your personal porn star? I mean, I know it's been a while since you and Rachel ended things..."

"I hate you," Danny exclaimed while pinching the bridge of his nose, "I hate you so much right now."

Steve merely smirked a reply and slammed on the brakes, effectively skidding to a stop 2 blocks from the targeted location.

Danny threw open the passenger side door with more force than was necessary; then stumbled back into his seat as the door recoiled back. He kicked it open again with his foot, swearing under his breath.

Steve lifted the trunk of the Camaro and began gearing up with additional ammunition. Danny rounded the corner and snatched the shotgun out of the trunk, nearly breaking Steve's nose in the process.

"Hey, watch it," Steve replied.

"You are so lucky we have to go in and bust this guy, legally, I might add thanks to our handy arrest warrant, or you'd be watching my fist slam into your face!" Danny thundered.

"Yeah, I'm not feeling any luckier now than when Ellis said it," Steve replied with a grin.

Kono and Chin stopped behind the Camaro. "I've got the warrant," she said, waving a small envelope at them before shoving it in her back pocket.

"She has the warrant," Danny said with a smile.

Steve glared at him before flipping his "internal switch" to serious cop mode. "Target is David Salazar. As always, consider him and any buddies we might encounter as armed and extremely dangerous."

"Salazar's a known drug runner who dabbles in supplying under age prostitutes to grossly obese bad guys whose sense of right and wrong iffy at best," Danny added with a flick of his wrist for the benefit of the HPD SWAT officers who were providing additional manpower.

"Lt. Kelly is passing out a photo of Salazar," Steve stated. "Remember, armed and _extremely_ dangerous. Everybody ready?"

The Commander didn't wait for an answer before assigning his team and the SWAT officers strategic positions along the perimeter of the Salazar estate.

Steve and Danny advanced to the main gate and pressed the intercom button that would ring into the house.

"Yes?" a deep male voice answered.

"Commander McGarrett and Detective Williams from 5-0. We have an arrest warrant for David Salazar."

"You got the wrong address," the voice answered.

"Wrong Address?" Steve said with an amused laugh. "Okay, we can do this the easy way or the hard way."

Both Steve & Danny stared at the metal speaker box as if they could make the voice's answer come faster.

A bullet from Chin's shotgun whizzing above their heads and into the vest of one of Salazar's guards who had his gun trained on Steve provided the answer.

"Hard way it is!" was Steve's gleeful reply.

TBC…


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer – I don't own Hawaii Five-O. If I did, Steve McGarrett would be shirtless all the time. And they wouldn't be covering up any of AOL's tattoos. I'm just toying with the characters for a while.

* * *

Present Day

"I kissed Claire," Steve answered, his voice barely above a whisper.

Danny's watery blue eyes narrowed at his best friend before using the fists that were balled up in Steve's t-shirt to slam him into the porch column again. When Danny finally released him, Steve found himself afraid to move. He closed his eyes as Danny bent over and rested his fists on his knees.

"How did this happen?" Danny demanded, though Steve wisely kept his mouth shut. "You are my best friend. You stood there, day in and day out, watching me fall head over heels in love with this woman. I realize in the process of becoming an Army robot, they deprogrammed your humanity…"

"Navy," Steve automatically corrected.

Danny's mouth twisted into a bemused grin. "You're really gonna correct me on your choice of military affiliation_ now_?"

Steve held up a hand in surrender. "As I was saying," Danny continued, "the Coast Guard may have deprogrammed your humanity, but in civilized society, you don't_ kiss_ your best friend's _girl _without a very good _reason_."

"Couldn't agree more," Steve replied with a nod of his head.

This affirmation seemed to throw Danny off just slightly. His eyes widened in curiosity. "That's…that's incredible, babe. I'm overjoyed," he continued, covering his heart with his hands. "Please, enlighten me."

Steve's eyes locked on Danny's as he shrugged. "I can't."

Danny's eyebrows shot up almost comically to his hairline. "Whadda ya mean you 'can't'? You're saying you have _no_ very good reason for kissing Claire?"

Steve offered his partner & best friend a sad smile before answering. "That is correct."

It took less than half a second for Danny's fist to connect with Steve's chin.

TBC...


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer – I don't own Hawaii Five-O. If I did, Steve McGarrett would be shirtless all the time. And they wouldn't be covering up any of AOL's tattoos. I'm just toying with the characters for a while.

* * *

6 months ago…

"What the hell happened?" Claire exclaimed, running to greet a bloody and bruised Danny and Steve at the main door of the 5-0 headquarters.

Danny grinned despite the gash on his forehead. "H-hey, sweetheart. _You_ are a sight for sore eyes. And head and legs…"

Claire gave Steve a cursory once-over before focusing her attention on Danny. She gingerly inspected the cut while Danny struggled to keep his eyes from wandering down Claire's neckline to the small gap between the chiffon scarf tied loosely at the top of her blouse and the first button, allowing just the lacy edge of a nude colored camisole to show. "Eyes up, Casanova," she said gently.

"What's the verdict, Doc? I need stitches?" he asked with a smirk.

"No, it's already stopped bleeding. I'll put a couple of butterfly bandages on it to minimize any scarring," she replied, gently brushing her fingers over Danny's cheek. "What happened?" she asked again.

"Rambo here drove a motorcycle through a plate-glass window _and_ the bad guys got away," Danny explained.

"Doc?" Steve asked curiously with a grin. "I thought that University of Hawaii plaque on your wall said Juris Doctorate, not MD."

"She's a woman of many talents, babe," Danny answered with a laugh as he watched her step over to the Commander, "many, many talents…"

Claire rolled her eyes as she lifted Steve's arm and pulled the gauze away gently. For a moment, the world ceased spinning. She had never touched him before, not even accidentally. He wondered if she could feel the effect she was having on him as her cool fingers prodded the wound. "You, on the other hand, DO need stitches," she surmised.

He suddenly realized he'd stopped breathing. "Yeah, no big deal, I'll take care of it later…" he began, waving her off and side-stepping her on his way to his office.

Four minutes later, Claire dropped a medical kit on his desk, startling him. Her long hair had been swept up in a messy ponytail. "What _are_ you doing?" he asked; his eyes wide.

"I am going to stitch up your arm," she explained calmly, like it was the most normal thing in the world for a lawyer to be sewing up a cop.

Steve scratched his forehead and eyed the attorney curiously. "I'll go see Max later, it's fine."

"Dr. Bergman is out today," she answered dryly. "And you and I both know; left to your own devices, that cut will get infected, which will turn into sepsis, and next thing you know, you're having your arm amputated."

The Commander leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, cringing slightly at the pain before laughing. "Okay, one, you've been hanging out with Danno way too much. And two, you still haven't told me why I would _let_ you sew up my arm."

Claire shook her head and reached into the case, coming up with a curved needle in a sterile pouch. "My father was a highly decorated medic in the Navy. I wanted to be a doctor when I was a kid, so he taught me. I've sewed him up a few times after bar fights that got out of hand."

"Your dad's an alcoholic?"

Claire froze and glared at Steve. "Wow, you really want me to hurt you, don't you?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he thought to himself. Claire Ellis had grown on him in the two months she'd been assigned to 5-0. The initial friction had dissolved into playful banter. More importantly, she made Danny happy – brought him back from the edge of the cliff he was precariously clinging to after Rachel broke his heart. And Danny wasn't just his best friend, he was Steve's _brother_. But for reasons he could not identify, Steve hardened, badass Navy Seal McGarrett, was terrified of being alone with ASA Claire Ellis.

So, he reverted to his standard defense – he pushed. "Did you or did you not just say you sewed your father up after bar fights? Fights – plural. What was I supposed to think?"

She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly while donning a pair of purple nitrile gloves. She yanked the injured arm from his chest, ignoring his pained protests. "After he retired, my dad managed a bar a couple of blocks from U of H. Ten years later, he bought it from the original owner. Things get crazy in there, especially during football season."

Claire secured a sterile adhesive patch around the wound before coating the skin around it with an orange goo Steve recognized as Betadine. "Sorry," she said softly when he flinched from what she assumed was pain. In reality, it was a reflex to hide the goosebumps taking up residence on his arm.

"So, how does a girl who wanted to be a doctor end up an Assistant State's Attorney?"

Claire smiled sadly as she used a small tool to thread the needle through his skin on one side of the wound, capturing it on the other side with a pair of tweezers. "It's not exactly a happy story, Commander."

This peaked Steve's curiosity. "Well, counselor, you've, ah, got me on a string. Not like I'm going anywhere," he said with a grin.

Intense sadness flashed behind Claire's emerald eyes and Steve was instantly sorry he'd pushed her. She worried her bottom lip with her teeth before answering. "My best friend Bethany was murdered 2 weeks before I was supposed to start Johns Hopkins. Her son, Cooper, was barely a month old…"

Steve's brow furrowed in confusion and he held up a hand to stop her. "Wait, Danny said your son's name is Cooper."

"Yeah," she answered with a gentle nod, "I adopted him."

"What about his father?" Steve asked softly.

He didn't miss the anger that flushed Claire's features. "Serving a life sentence at Leavenworth for killing Bethany."

Steve felt his heart stop for a moment as Claire's words sank in. "I…ah…I'm sorry," he stuttered.

She blinked a tear away and shrugged. "It was a long time ago."

She worked in silence for several minutes, looping the needle through Steve's torn skin, before tying it off and cutting the thread. He dared not ask her any other questions. He simply watched as she cleaned the Betadine off his arm, then pushed her chair away and stood. "All done," she said quickly before escaping his office with her supplies.

She turned at the door frame, facing him, but not making eye contact, "make sure you keep it clean and bandage it back up."

He nodded. "Yeah, thanks, I will."

He watched as she made her way into Danny's office, noting the radiant smile that crossed her features the moment she saw the Detective. Danny sat on the edge of his desk and pulled Claire in close, so she was standing between his legs. His hands took up residence on her hips, holding her in place as she gently applied three butterfly closures to the gash on Danny's forehead. Steve fought the memory of Claire's fingers on his arm...the delicate way her fingers threaded the needle through his skin.

He rested his arms on the desk, closed his eyes and pressed his thumbs into the sides of his nose. When he opened his eyes, they fell on a picture of him and Catherine slid under the glass protecting the top of his desk. He sighed and tried to convince himself there was a simple explanation the angst turning in his stomach - he just missed Catherine.

TBC...


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer – I don't own Hawaii Five-O. If I did, Steve McGarrett would be shirtless all the time. And they wouldn't be covering up any of AOL's tattoos. I'm just toying with the characters for a while.

* * *

_Present Day_

The men took up posts at alternate sides of the porch. Danny flexed his fingers and stretched his hand while Steve massaged his jaw back into place. The silence between the partners was bordering on deafening.

"I'm gonna get a beer," Steve said softly, finally making eye contact with Danny. "You want one?"

Danny bent over at the waist and laughed. "Do I want a beer? You kissed Claire, I punched you in the jaw and you ask if I want a _beer_? No, Steven, I do not want a beer."

Steve nodded. "Danny, we need to talk. And I don't know about you, but this is not a conversation I want to have any more sober than I already am."

"Sober?" Danny scoffed. "What are you talking about, sober? You frikkin' stumbled out of the cab that dropped your ass here. You gave the cab driver a $50 bill for a ride that was, at most, 10 bucks. You, my friend, are not even remotely sober."

Steve laughed bitterly and ran a hand over his face. "Yeah, well, trust me, there's no level of drunk that's gonna make this easier, so…you want a beer?"

Danny regarded the taller man with disdain before scratching his beard. "No," he answered finally; "I want a very tall glass of the strongest liquor you've got."

"Coming right up," Steve answered, making his way into his home. Danny followed several paces behind. "You're brave, I'll give you that," he said brusquely, making a sweeping motion with his hand in reference to the various weapons Steve had along the walls, "keeping your back to me when I've got damn near every weapon known to man at my disposal right now."

Steve snorted. "Not like I wouldn't deserve it," he said under his breath.

He flipped on the light in the kitchen and procured two tall glasses out of the cupboard before filling them halfway with Booker's whiskey. He handed Danny one of the glasses and made his way out to the lanai and down to the chairs he left situated on the beach.

Steve flopped down in one and sat his glass on the table before resting the mostly full bottle on his knee. Danny paced in front of the second chair, then turned to Steve, said "Salut" and downed the contents in one gulp. Steve laughed and refilled Danny's glass.

Danny loosened his tie and undid the top button on his shirt before sagging into his chair and leaning back. He twirled the whiskey in his glass, watching as the thick, dark liquid coated the sides. He could already feel the effects of downing the first glass. "You said you had no_ good_ reason to kiss Claire."

"No," Steve answered.

"So, I'm guessing you have a not so good reason, then?"

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment before shaking his head and turning to Danny with tears in his eyes. "There is no reason good enough to hurt you the way I have," he answered honestly. "You're my partner, my best friend, my _chosen_ brother, and I betrayed you the minute I let myself feel anything except friendship for Claire."

Danny sighed. "Well, at least we agree on that."

TBC…

* * *

Please don't worry – Danny is NOT letting Steve off easy, I promise.


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer – I don't own Hawaii Five-O. If I did, Steve McGarrett would be shirtless all the time. And they wouldn't be covering up any of AOL's tattoos. I'm just toying with the characters for a while.

* * *

_Three and a half months ago, Claire's birthday_

"So this silver Porsche comes flying around the corner _barely_ on two wheels, skids to a stop in front of me leaving _smoking_ tire treads on the pavement and there's Claire behind the wheel yelling at me to get in! She takes off like a bat out of hell and I'm thinking, she's supposed to keep us OUT of trouble, not get us in more…"

"Which," Danny started before allowing the laughter to die down a bit, "she didn't, and why, babe, because she then…"

"Flips on a set of police lights that this guy," Steve explained with a wide grin, pointing the top of his beer bottle at Danny, "gave her for 'emergency situations'."

"It WAS an emergency situation!" Claire countered through her laughter.

"Yes, it was, sweetheart, my life was danger," Danny added, rubbing his hand down her back.

"It most definitely was," Steve agreed with a nod, "but I'm riding shotgun while she's doing 120 mph down I-1, in _traffic_, I might add, and my life is flashing before my eyes!"

"You're just jealous that a girl can out drive you, McGarrett!" Claire interjected before dabbing the tears that had formed in the corner of her eyes from laughing.

"Ray, I know Danno's told you he fears for his life when I'm behind the wheel, but I gotta tell you, I've got NOTHING on your daughter," Steve continued. "If she decides to give up law, she's got a future in stunt driving!"

"And this all happened in my car?" Claire's father asked, trying his best to look horrified despite the chuckling he couldn't control. "Who taught you how to drive like that?"

"YOU did!" Claire exclaimed.

"We're surrounded by cops, sweetheart, that was supposed to remain our little secret, but I appreciate you outing me there," Ray teased.

"You're very welcome," she said happily, balling up her napkin and throwing it at him. "There was not a scratch on your baby when you got home, I might add!"

"It just had a few layers of rubber missing on the tires!" Chin added.

"When I said 'baby', I meant _me_, not the car!"

"And I was fine, by the way," Danny interjected, "just in case you were wondering." He caught the napkin ball Ray tossed at him and threw it at Steve, who batted it away with his hand, sending it flying in Kono's direction.

"Pop, are you gonna teach me to drive like that?" Claire's son Cooper asked.

"NO!" came the unanimous answer from the entire table.

Steve glanced across the table at his best friend and smiled. Danny had never looked happier than he did tonight, alternately watching Claire and Grace share a piece of birthday cake and focusing his attention on a game Cooper was playing on Danny's phone. Steve was happy for Danny, thrilled that he'd finally found the happiness he so deserved.

But he'd been fighting an attraction to Claire for months. Some days it was easy, some days difficult. Steve had always been fascinated by challenging women, and Claire Ellis was definitely a challenge – an enigma really – terrifying in a courtroom, tough as nails in front of a judge, irritatingly sarcastic while arguing with Steve. But insanely protective, immensely loving, compassionate and almost _delicate_ around Danny, their kids and friends.

He kept telling himself he only had feelings for Claire because he was lonely. Catherine had been gone for months – stuck on an aircraft carrier in the middle of the Indian Ocean. His attraction to Claire was illogical…wrong…and maddeningly persistent.

The night wore on, the group sharing stories and robust laughs. Soon, Grace fell asleep in Claire's lap and Cooper was fighting a losing battle to keep his eyes open. Danny stood and took Grace from Claire, then nudged Cooper to stand and head into the house. "Say goodnight, Coop," he instructed, carrying his daughter. "Night," Cooper said with a massive yawn and a wave of his hand.

Claire and her father stood from the table and began carrying plates into the kitchen off the pergola covered lanai where Claire's party was held. The remaining guests followed suit, depositing their plates on the island before wishing Claire happy birthday with hugs and kisses, then bidding farewell for the night.

He found her alone in the kitchen as he carried the last dishes in, leaning against the counter, swiping her finger through the frosting on her leftover cake. "I saw that," he said playfully.

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "It's MY cake." She turned from him and stuck her finger in her mouth to lick the frosting off while opening the refrigerator with her other hand. "You want another beer?" she asked, hidden behind the massive stainless steel door.

"Sure," he answered, leaning his forearms on the island, watching her.

Claire shut the door and caught him staring. He stood straight as she tossed the can at him, catching it easily. "Don't look at me like that, Steve," she said with a sigh.

Steve's brows knit in confusion. "Like what?" he asked gently.

Her tone was clipped, tight and angry when she answered. "Like you…" she began before being interrupted by Danny coming down the back staircase into the kitchen. She turned away from Steve and busied herself pouring dish soap in the sink.

"Neither kid brushed their teeth, babe," Danny explained, heading to the refrigerator to procure a new beer for himself. "I was afraid they'd regain consciousness if they didn't go right to bed."

Claire laughed. "Don't let me forget they'll both have some serious dragon breath in the morning."

"No breathing in Mom or Dad's direction till Listerine has been sufficiently gargled. Note taken and filed for the morning," Danny added. He sidled up to Claire and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Did you have a good birthday, Baby?"

She turned and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Best yet," she answered with a bright smile.

"I'm gonna head out," Steve said as Danny leaned over to place a chaste kiss on Claire's lips. Danny broke the embrace with Claire and hugged his partner. Claire pulled the sweater covering her long sundress tighter before engaging Steve in what was, at best, a tense hug. "Happy Birthday," he said quietly, kissing her on the cheek before she quickly pulled away and turned her attention to the dishes on the island.

He strode through the house Claire shared with her father and Coop, glancing at the pictures and portraits that lined the walls, finding more of Danny, Claire and the kids than the last time he'd been in the house. He stepped up into the cab of his truck and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. Reading the display, he realized he'd missed a call. Catherine.

TBC…


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer - I don't own Hawaii Five-O. If I did, Steve McGarrett would be shirtless all the time. And they wouldn't be covering up any of AOL's tattoos. I'm just toying with the characters for a while.

Thank you all again for reading this story. I am overwhelmed by not only the reviews, but by everyone who has made this story a favorite or an alert.

* * *

_Present Day_

The bottle of whiskey was half gone before Danny worked up the courage to ask the question he desperately needed answered and Steve steeled himself to give it. In the end, Steve decided to spare his best friend the agony.

"The day I killed Trainor," he replied quietly.

"Yeah," Danny answered, his voice barely above a whisper.

_(Flashback - Three weeks after Claire's birthday)_

Danny's phone rang in his pocket and he yanked it out before stabbing the green Accept button. "Detective Williams."

Steve cast a glance over at Danny before returning his eyes to the road. "Ray Ellis?" Danny asked the caller, his eyebrows knit in complete confusion. "It's 10 a.m. Why would someone rob…he's been SHOT? Okay, really, that's the kind of information you're supposed to LEAD with!"

Steve flipped on the lights and sirens and did an illegal u-turn in the middle of the highway and hit the gas in the hopes of getting to Ray's downtown bar as quickly as possible. As he reached 70 mph, his phone rang. He pressed the button on the steering wheel for the bluetooth and answered while still attempting to listen to Danny's conversation. "McGarrett."

"Commander, it's Governor Denning. I got a call from NCIS. They need your help recovering an escaped inmate from Leavenworth."

Steve felt the hairs on his arm stand up. "Leavenworth?" he asked thickly.

"An Ensign Todd Trainor. Convicted 10 years ago in the murder of his wife, Bethany Trainor."

The phone Danny was holding clattered against the center console. "Commander?" Denning said.

Each man watched as the blood completely drained out of his partner's face. "COMMANDER?" Denning said again.

"Governor, Todd Trainor is the biological father of Claire Ellis' son Cooper," Steve explained slowly, hardly believing the words spilling out of his mouth.

Silence answered him as the Governor processed the information. A moment later, they heard the Governor say quietly, "Oh my God…"

Steve disconnected the call and looked over at his partner. "DANNY!" he yelled.

When Danny looked over at him, his eyes were clouded in fear. "Danny," he said again, "get Claire on the phone."

"Coop," Danny finally said as his instincts kicked back in. "We gotta get Cooper."

Steve waited for Kono to answer her cell. "Hey Boss," she said sweetly.

"Kono, we got a problem. Todd Trainor escaped from custody and is on the island. He's gonna be looking for Claire and Cooper. Ray has been shot and it has to be Trainor."

"Where do you want us?" Kono asked.

"Danny's getting a 20 on Claire. Chin stays with her. You go to the bar and stay with Ray. I'm dropping Danny at Coop's school. He'll need backup…"

"EMT is already at the bar, unis on the way to the school."

"Clarie's not answering her cell or at the office," Danny said quietly.

Steve ran a hand down his face and swallowed hard before shaking his head to rid himself of the nausea threatening to overtake him. "Kono, we're gonna need HPD SWAT at the office…"

TBC...


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer – I don't own Hawaii Five-O. If I did, Steve McGarrett would be shirtless all the time. And they wouldn't be covering up any of AOL's tattoos. I'm just toying with the characters for a while.

A/N – I am taking the rating up to T due to language and of course, the controversial kiss.

* * *

Danny leapt from the car before Steve came to a stop and rounded to the driver's side. The fear, despair and pleading behind Danny's eyes as he looked at Steve was heart wrenching. "Danny, Coop is _your_ kid now. Claire needs you to protect him. I won't let anything happen to her, I swear it."

Danny could only nod his head in understanding before tearing up the stairs of Cooper's school. Steve waited till Danny threw the door open with 2 uniformed officers is pursuit before he peeled out of the parking lot. The school was a mere two miles from the 5-0 headquarters, but every passing second felt like an hour. The parking lot had been overrun by 2 SWAT transport vehicles, several HPD cruisers and unmarked NCIS sedans. Chin met Steve at the car with a bullet-proof vest. Steve yanked his 9 millimeter out the holster at his hip after donning the vest and checked his clip before shoving it back in the holster.

"I guess I don't need to ask if Trainor's in there," Steve said sarcastically.

"No," Chin answered sadly. "You don't. And Claire _is_ in there with him."

"But she's alive?" Steve questioned; his tone even, with no trace of the crushing fear in his heart.

Chin offered a small smile. "Tough as nails, right?"

"Yeah," Steve replied, extending his hand to the lead officer with the HPD SWAT team. "What do we got?"

Lt. Keao directed the Commander's attention a screen in front of him. "Two heat signatures in the 5-0 office. Sharpshooter on the roof to the left has a partial view into ASA Ellis' office. She doesn't seem to be injured."

Chin touched Steve's shoulder to get his attention. "Kono just arrived at the hospital with Ray. He took two to the chest; EMT's lost him once in the bus but he's holding his own. Uni's confirmed that Danny has Cooper. They're gonna leave officers at the school just in case Trainor has anyone else involved in this."

"Good," Steve answered distractedly, watching the infrared images of Claire and Trainor in her office. Claire seemed to be on her side of the desk, Trainor opposite her with his arm extended, a weapon presumably in his hand. "Contact?"

Keao shook his head. "Any idea what he wants?"

"If I had to guess, I'd say his son. Claire adopted the boy after Trainor was convicted of killing his wife. She and Claire were best friends growing up," Steve answered. "I need to get in there."

The Lieutenant extended his arm to stop the Steve. "We haven't even spoken to Trainor yet."

The Commander continued as though he hadn't heard Keao. "Chin, I'm gonna need the blueprints from the building. I think I can go in through the air ducts and drop into the interrogation room without Trainor knowing. It's fairly soundproof…"

"On it," Chin answered with a nod.

Keao shook his head. "Whatever I say isn't gonna make a damn bit of difference is it, McGarrett?"

Steve glared at the officer. "No," he responded irritably. "This one's personal."

Steve and Chin poured over the blueprints Chin received on his computer, discussing and eliminating various initial entry points into the building. They ultimately agreed on Steve entering the building from the roof and accessing the air ducts from the main tower, two floors above and to the right of 5-0 offices to provide the maximum quiet zone possible. His phone rang as he was suiting up. "Yeah," he answered.

"You goin' in?" Danny asked. Steve looked around the perimeter and found his best friend a block away, standing on top of an HPD cruiser. Danny offered a slight wave.

He returned the hand signal. "Yeah."

"Steve…" Danny began slowly.

"I know, Danno."

"There's no one else I trust to go in there and get her. I just…I just need you to know that."

"How's Coop?" Steve asked.

He could see Danny's shoulders sag despite the distance between them. "He's scared."

Steve closed his eyes for a moment, allowing himself the same emotion before shutting it off and steeling his reserve. "Tell Coop I'm not coming out without his mother."

He ended the call and motioned to Chin that he was ready.

Twenty two minutes and six seconds after he arrived on scene, Steve McGarrett scaled the back side of evacuated building that held the 5-0 headquarters. He swung a leg over the ledge and landed on the roof with a small thud. Armed with a set of keys that would open the doors and offices he would need to access; he gently opened the main door on the roof that led into the building. "You're clear," he heard Chin say through a small earpiece. "No other heat signatures in the building except Claire and Trainor."

"Copy," Steve said quietly. He descended the tower stairs to the fourth floor and silently made his way into the first office that would lead him to 5-0 and Claire. Using a small motorized screwdriver, he removed the return covering the main air supply. He moved a chair under the duct and jumped, grabbing the ceiling and swinging in. "I'm in," he said to Chin, waiting on instructions.

"10 feet to your right is the down duct. It's gonna be a big drop, Steve."

"Copy," he answered, crawling on his belly toward the duct. Even if he hung by his fingers before dropping, he'd still have to fall about 4 and a half feet. He measured the width of the duct and decided he could work his way down by alternately wedging himself left and right until he reached the bottom, creating far less noise than having to make a dead drop.

Having succeeded, he whispered to Chin "On the third floor now."

Chin told him to proceed 20 feet to the left before arriving at the next drop. "I'll be able to hear you, but I'm turning everything else off," Steve said. "Copy," came the quick answer before Steve reached up and severed his communication to the outside world.

He made the final descent onto the second floor and maneuvered further to left, finding the return he needed and breaking out the small screwdriver again. His heart leapt into his throat as the metal groaned in protest when he raised the grate separating him from the interrogation room. He waited several seconds before deciding that Trainor hadn't heard the disturbance.

Steve used his hands to extend his body to its full length before falling soundlessly to the floor. He eased the door to the interrogation room open before ducking under the handle. Just as silently, he closed the door back into its frame.

"I want to see my son!" he heard Trainor shout from the opposite side of the offices.

"YOU don't have a son!" Claire countered defiantly. "You gave up the right to call him your son the minute you laid a hand on Bethany."

Steve struggled to control his breathing as he maneuvered closer to Claire's office. He needed a visual on her, not just to see that she was unharmed, but to verify her position for the sharpshooters, if needed. Blood stained the left arm of the light pink cardigan Claire wore. It wasn't enough to be anything more than a graze, but just the idea that she _was_ hurt was enough to make him see red.

"Everything was FINE until you came back, Claire. Bethany and I were fine…"

"Beating your wife into submission is not fine, Todd!"

"God, you bitch. You came back from your fancy college, putting all these ideas into her head. How she deserved better. That she was being abused…"

"Forgive me for thinking two black eyes and a broken arm on a woman who is eight months pregnant might possibly be abuse!"

Trainor shook his head belligerently. "No, she fell, Claire. She told you she fell."

"Do you actually believe the words coming out of your mouth?"

Steve leapt behind the smart table as Trainor picked the vase on Claire's desk and threw it at her. "Get my son here NOW," he shrieked.

"No," she countered, her emerald eyes lit by the primal fire of a mother protecting her child. "I will _never_ let you see Cooper."

Trainor trailed a finger over the photo frames on Claire's desk, turning each one to face him while keeping his weapon trained on Claire. He finally selected one and lifted it. His expression was wild as he examined a photo of Danny, Claire and the kids that Steve had taken one afternoon at the beach.

"Don't worry, Claire, after I kill you, I'll go and find this beautiful little girl," he said, turning the frame toward her, "and I guarantee you her Daddy will tell me where my son is."

Steve finally caught Claire's eye and motioned for her to be ready. He held up a hand to her as he rose slowly and started counting down from 5.

"So get on with it," she threatened, her voice breaking with terror. "Kill _both_ of Cooper's mothers, you coward!"

Trainor raised his gun to Claire's face. "Fucking bitch!" he exclaimed as the glass wall of Claire's office shattered. She screamed and crumpled behind her desk when Trainor collapsed in front of her from Steve's shot to the temple.

He knew Trainor was killed instantly, but he instinctually kicked the gun far away before rounding the side of the desk, finding Claire cowering against a bookcase. She was shaking uncontrollably as he examined the graze on her arm quickly, before lifting her into his arms.

"I've got you, you're okay," he kept repeating, hoping as the fear and adrenaline left her body she'd hear him and understand.

He swept past the throngs of SWAT and uniformed officers rushing up the stairs and outside the building, finding Danny waiting on the sidewalk. Relief flooded his face as he ran to them. "Claire!"

Steve carried her toward a waiting ambulance while attempting to answer Danny's questions. "Graze to the left arm and some cuts from the glass when it shattered. Trainor's dead."

Claire had regained some level consciousness as Steve lowered her onto the gurney. "Cooper? Where's Cooper?" she demanded as Danny pushed the EMTs out of his way to get to her side.

"He's fine, baby, he's fine. I swear," Danny answered, cradling her face in his hands, and running his thumbs over her bloodied forehead. She clung desperately to his shoulders as he continued to reassure her that Cooper was unharmed.

"Any update on Ray?" Steve asked when Chin ran over to the ambulance.

Chin shook his head as the EMT's secured an oxygen mask to Claire's nose and mouth. "Just that he's in surgery."

Claire launched into an upright position and yanked the mask off despite the medic's protests. "Surgery? Why…why is he in surgery? Danny? What happened?" she demanded, the wild fear that had dissipated from her eyes quickly flaring again.

Steve turned away from them and cursed himself for mentioning Ray when he was unsure whether Claire was aware of her father's shooting.

Danny placed his hands on Claire's shoulders and lowered his forehead to hers. "Todd shot him, Claire," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "He managed to call 911 before blacking out, but his heart stopped in the ambulance. He's in surgery now."

Steve's shoulders sagged as Claire's agonized wail reached his ears and sliced into his heart.

TBC…


	10. Chapter 9

Disclaimer – I don't own Hawaii Five-O. If I did, Steve McGarrett would be shirtless all the time. And they wouldn't be covering up any of AOL's tattoos. I'm just toying with the characters for a while.

A/N: Okay, here we go, peeps. Hang tight and keep breathing. Stay with me!

* * *

Nearly fourteen hours had passed since the ambulance carrying Claire left 5-0, bound for the same hospital where Ray was undergoing surgery. Exhaustion seeped from every pore on Steve's skin, the direct result of endless recaps of the shooting with HPD SWAT, NCIS and Governor Denning. Now cleared of the shooting and with all reports filed, he strode through silent hallways on his way to the ICU where Claire's father was recuperating from a lengthy surgery to repair his torn aorta.

She stood just outside Ray's room, watching through the window, absentmindedly toying with the silver locket around her neck. Her hair had been pulled back loosely, gathered at the base of her neck, revealing the small cuts to the side of her neck. The bandage adorning her left arm peeked out from the t-shirt she'd changed into when the ER released her.

"Hey," he said quietly, not wanting to sneak up on her after everything she'd been through.

She turned and greeted him with a slight smile. "Hi," she said before returning her attention to her father.

"How is he?" Steve asked curiously, peering into Ray's room. The older man lay motionless on the bed, his chest bandaged with various tubes poking out from under the gauze. A breathing tube had been placed down his throat.

"They say the first 48 hours will be critical," she answered softly, "the doctors are 'cautiously optimistic' he'll make a full recovery."

"Ray's a fighter. He'd have made a hell of a SEAL," Steve replied with a grin, silently congratulating himself when she gently laughed. "Where's Danno?"

Claire sighed and unconsciously lifted the locket again. "He's at the house with Coop. Making Danny take him was the only way I could convince Cooper to go home."

Steve admired the boy's devotion to his mother and grandfather. He was just about to say that to Claire when her soft voice interrupted his thoughts. "How the hell did this happen, Steve?"

He ran a hand through his hair and took a breath before answering. "Trainor was going to testify against a guy he was locked up with in the brig while awaiting trial. Guy's coming up for parole and Trainor claimed he'd confessed everything when they were in the same cell. So, NCIS transported him back to Hawaii. He faked a heart attack and took out the ambulance drivers and an agent to escape. Went to your dad's bar first, looking for you. Shot Ray when he refused to tell Trainor where Coop was."

Steve's heart broke as tears began silently streaming down Claire's cheeks. "I kept picturing my dad having to tell Cooper I was dead," she said almost inaudibly. "I knew I was provoking Todd but…I just…he's my _son_. I'd die a thousand times over to protect him. Then I found out my dad had been shot and Coop…he would have been all alone…"

"Hey," he said, gathering her petite form in his arms as she began to sob, "Hey, you're fine. Coop's fine. Your dad is gonna be _fine_." Her hands balled in his shirt and he pulled her tighter to his chest as the sobs continued to wrack her body.

He rubbed his hand down Claire's back, as he'd seen Danny do countless times, hoping the gentle touch was as soothing from him as it was from Danny. He rested his cheek on the top of her head and held her close as her crying gradually eased. He tilted her chin up to his face and spoke. "Coop wouldn't have been all alone, Claire. Danny's an incredible father, he worships that boy and we all love him just as much as we love Gracie."

She smiled knowingly. "Thank you," she said quietly, emotion heavy in her voice, "for saving me today."

He wasn't sure if it was his imagination or if Claire really leaned into him ever so slightly, but the urge to show her everything he couldn't say with words overwhelmed the part of his conscience screaming at him to stop. Time froze the moment his lips grazed hers. When she gasped, he took advantage, deepening the kiss and pulling her impossibly closer to him with his free arm.

A fireball of need and desire shot to the pit of his stomach when his tongue met briefly with hers before she used the fists still balled in his shirt to push him away. "No," she said, her voice strangled by another sob as she attempted to break from his embrace.

Steve tried unsuccessfully to fold her fully back into his arms. "Claire…"

"NO!" she said more forcefully, stepping further away. He watched helplessly as every emotion from disbelief to disgust to anger played out behind her eyes.

She took off down the hall, leaving Steve motionless in her wake. His heart thudded painfully in his chest…one…two…three…four….before his legs would cooperate with his brain and allow him to run after her.

"CLAIRE!" He reached the end of the hallway and looked both left and right, hoping for some indication of which direction she'd gone. There was none. He bent at the waist and rested his hands on his knees for a moment before kicking the wall out of frustration.

TBC...


	11. Chapter 10

Disclaimer – I don't own Hawaii Five-O. If I did, Steve McGarrett would be shirtless all the time. And they wouldn't be covering up any of AOL's tattoos. I'm just toying with the characters for a while.

* * *

_Present Day_

"I tried to give her a free pass, ya know," Danny explained sadly, twirling the whiskey in his glass again after Steve wrapped up his explanation of the kiss. "I told her she was under extreme emotional duress. She'd been shot, Ray was in ICU, Trainor was dead. I begged her to say it was your fault so we could just put it behind us."

"I took advantage of her Danny, I'm not proud of it, but I'm sure as hell not gonna lie about it now," Steve answered, his voice still thick with emotion.

Danny nodded. "Babe, I was holding the frikkin' sword, so to speak, basically ordering Claire to push your lousy, stupid, jackass, white frikkin' knight in shining Army SEAL armor down on it, but she wouldn't do it."

Steve's anger flared. "Why? Why wouldn't she do that? I kissed _her_. She didn't initiate it, she didn't ask for it. She shoved me and then ran away."

"Because she _knew_," Danny replied despondently. "She knew you had feelings for her. She didn't know how strong or how deep they went, but…she knew. She didn't want to tell me because you're…you were…you are…I dunno, whatever, my best friend."

The Commander shook his head in disbelief. "All she had to do was keep her mouth shut and say 'Yes, Danny, I would love to marry you'!"

"You're seriously _mad_ at her for not throwing you under the bus?" Danny asked incredulously.

"Yes," Steve answered forcefully. "I am actually. 'Steve kissed me. I hate his guts.' Two very easy, completely truthful sentences."

"Uugghhhh," Danny groaned, downing the remaining liquor in his glass. "It's my own damn fault."

Steve choked on his whiskey. "How the hell did you come to THAT conclusion?"

Danny waved his glass at Steve, indicating a refill was in order. Steve complied and waited as Danny took a long sip before continuing. "I couldn't just say 'Claire, will you marry me?' No, I had to go on and on and on about how much I loved her…"

"Verbal diarrhea," Steve said with an amused smirk.

"My best and worst trait." Danny agreed. "So I'm on one knee going through this elaborate speech, which was really frikkin' dumb to begin with since I tore my ACL 5 minutes after meeting your sorry ass. And Claire is crying with this huge smile on her face until I started in on the complete honesty we share…"

Steve groaned and Danny pointed at him with his finger and the edge of his glass. "Bingo. The smile faded and the tears weren't happy anymore. I asked her what was wrong and she said 'nothing'. But it wasn't 'nothing', so I pushed…and pushed…and pushed…until…"

"She told you," Steve correctly surmised.

"You know, for a lawyer, she's a crappy liar," Danny said with a snort.

"Not a bad trait for a spouse, though," Steve said gently before taking a swig of his whiskey.

"Yeah," Danny agreed quietly.

The men sat in silence watching the moon play on the waves of the ocean. Minutes passed, hours possibly, before Danny spoke again. "Are you in love her?"

Steve smiled sadly before answering. "My therapist says no. Monsignor Dowling at St. Patrick's says no…"

His explanation was interrupted by Danny's strangled laughing. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, therapist? Are you frikkin' kidding me? _You_ have a _therapist_?"

The Commander rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, you've been telling me I've needed one for three years, so…"

Danny's laughter continued. "I'm sorry, babe, I don't mean to laugh, I don't..."

Steve fought the smile forming on his lips. "No, no, let it out. I wouldn't want you to injure yourself trying to suppress it."

"I can picture you in church, in the little closet where you talk about your sins…"

"It's called a confessional, Danny."

"Whatever. I can see you doing _that_ but you on a therapist's couch talking about your feelings? No, no way. That is beyond all reason and imagination."

"I kept all my co-pay receipts if you want to see them, Detective."

Danny eyed Steve with an amused, but suspicious expression. "Maybe later," he finally said. "So this therapist, told you you're_ not_ really in love with Claire?"

Steve nodded. "That is what he said, yes."

"Then what?" Danny asked, genuinely curious. "What the hell possessed you to think that Claire wanted you to kiss her?"

Steve took a moment to process his thoughts before answering. "I never thought about having a family until you started dating Claire. Don't get me wrong, I love Gracie, you know I do. But the whole wife, 2.5 kids and a dog, man, that just wasn't _me_. I was quite happy being Uncle Steve. Or at least, I thought I was. You and Claire made it look…easy…natural. One minute, you're a single dad of one amazing little girl who worships you, and the next, you're madly in love and have _two_ incredible kids who worship you. Don't get me wrong, I was attracted to Claire on day one…"

"I would have questioned your manhood if you weren't," Danny interjected.

"She's beautiful, intelligent, compassionate…but, mean as a snake when she wants to be…"

"The first time she busted your balls, I thought 'THAT is the woman I'm gonna marry," Danny said with a grin.

"Yeah, I think that was the first time you told her you loved her," Steve laughed in reply.

"Yeah," Danny said wistfully, looking out across the waves again.

Steve shut his eyes against the awkwardness of the moment. He opened; then closed his mouth several times attempting to speak before words finally came out. "I found myself wanting someone to come home to at night. We'd pull up at Claire's and Cooper would come running out, yelling 'DANNO!' at the top of his lungs and you'd hug him, and go kiss Claire. And, I started aching for something I didn't even know I wanted."

Danny stayed quiet as Steve continued. "The doc asked me a series of questions about Claire – what's her favorite flower…"

"Lily," Danny answered automatically.

"Favorite color…" Steve said, waiting for Danny's reply.

"Blue."

"First kiss?" Steve challenged.

"Ben Masters, on the playground when she was in 4th grade. He was in the 6th grade. Ray tried to have the poor kid court-martialed."

"What happened to her mother?" Steve asked, never having had the courage to ask before.

Danny shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "She, uh, died of a drug overdose in the Philippines when Claire was 3."

"I couldn't answer one of those questions, Danny. Not _one_." Steve said sadly. "Claire doesn't love me. At best, she_ tolerates_ me because I'm your partner, your best friend. If I could go back to that moment and let her go, I would. Danny, I…"

Steve's apology was interrupted by a car engine shutting off.

"That would be Claire," Danny said, attempting to untangle himself from the chair before falling drunkenly back into the low seat.

"How did she know you were here?" Steve asked.

Danny laughed heartily. "I'm sure from all the 'I'm gonna frikkin' kill him' and 'McGarrett is a dead man' threats I was tossing out, it wasn't hard to figure out. She probably came to help me figure out how to make your murder look like self-defense"

Steve heard his front door open. "I know I have absolutely no right to ask, but…Claire has shut me down every time I've tried to talk to her about…it. I need for her to know it's all on me."

The detective eyed his partner warily, the battle of saying yes or no playing out in his eyes. "Yeah," he decided finally. "Okay."

TBC…


	12. Chapter 11

Disclaimer – I don't own Hawaii Five-O. If I did, Steve McGarrett would be shirtless all the time. And they wouldn't be covering up any of AOL's tattoos. I'm just toying with the characters for a while.

* * *

Steve stood and quickly made his way into the kitchen to intercept Claire before she reached the lanai. "Hey," he said as he stepped through the still open door. The sight before him made his heart sink even deeper into despair and guilt. The tear stained face, the bloodshot eyes, the red, irritated skin flaming around her nose, the angry red rash streaking down her neck – he wasn't sure which part of her current appearance pained him more.

"Where is he?" she demanded flatly, pulling the gray cardigan she wore tightly around her tiny frame.

"Claire," he answered quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm so sorry…"

She scoffed loudly and shook her head before attempting to step around him toward the back door, but he held out his arm to stop her progress. She instinctively recoiled before she ran into his arm. "What, Steve?" she asked belligerently. "What could you _possibly_ want from me?"

"To apologize," he replied, voice thick with desperation. "It's on me, Claire, every bit of it."

She shook her head angrily at him. "It'd be nice if that were true, but it's not. I knew, Steve. I _knew _something was not right between you and me and I did nothing about it…"

"What were you supposed to do; Claire?" he argued. "Pull Danny aside and say 'hey, honey I think your partner has the hots for me'?"

"YES!" Claire sobbed. "Anything would have been better than this. You didn't see the agony in his eyes. _I_ did that - just as much as you did. And I have to live with it every day for the rest of my life."

"And I have to do the same," Steve answered. "I didn't just betray him, I betrayed you too. The trust you had in me to be your friend, to be Danny's best friend, to keep him safe so he could keep coming home to you every night. I betrayed Cooper and Grace, the family you guys have built. I betrayed the trust your father had in me."

"I've lost the only man I've ever loved because I was weak," she said sadly.

Steve shook his head. "You've never been weak a day in your life, Claire. You'd been held hostage, your son threatened, your father shot and I took advantage."

"I didn't stop you, Steve," she argued.

Steve let out an exasperated groan before yelling, "God, will you stop this self-flagellation? _I_ messed up. I. Me. Not we. You did nothing wrong."

"Then why did he walk out?" she asked with fresh tears in her eyes. "When I told him what happened, he_ left_."

Steve ran a hand over his face before answering. "Because in that moment, the only thing in the world stronger than his love for you was his hatred of me."

Claire swiped her fingers under her eyes to wipe the tears away. "Yeah, well, he must not hate you too much…you still have a pulse and all your vital organs."

As much as he knew he shouldn't, Steve laughed. "Believe me when I tell you that the only reason he _didn't_ kill me was because he didn't want to raise his kids from jail. Well…that…and I deliberately got him extremely drunk."

A ghost of a smile flitted across Claire's features, so Steve took the opportunity to continue. "I have written and re-written this speech so many times, in the hopes you'd give me a chance. Yes, I fell for you. You are beautiful, and talented; an incredible mother; a ridiculously good attorney. You have this sadistic desire to put my ass in its place as much as possible…"

He could sense Claire's discomfort with the change in the conversation, so he skipped ahead in his memorized discourse. "But, you're not mine, Claire. You never were. And I've slowly learned that you weren't meant to be. I didn't even realize I wanted a family and kids until all of a sudden, Danny had it. I swear to you, I didn't consciously choose to have feelings for you. It just…happened.

"He is my best friend in the world. He's my brother. I hurt him, and I'm going to have to live with that and spend the rest of my life showing him how sorry I am, if he will let me." Tears stung Steve's eyes as he continued. "Danny, Gracie, Kono, Chin, Malia – they're my ohana. I don't know that I can live with myself if you and Coop and your dad aren't a part of it too."

"Whadda ya say, Claire?" Danny slurred. Steve and Claire both spun to find him leaned against the doorway. "Still wanna be a part of this explosively dysfunctional family? There are days I don't want to be a part of it, so I'd totally understand if you said…"

The rest of Danny's sentence was silenced by Claire's lips crushing down on his. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to his chest. Steve heard her faintly mumble "yes" before enveloping Danny in a tight embrace.

Steve watched the couple and smiled, glad that the world felt somewhat back on track. He moved to leave the kitchen and give Danny and Claire some privacy when Danny spoke again. "I'm gonna head home now."

Steve nodded and took Danny's glass from his as he passed. "Hey, Danny?"

The detective stopped and glanced back at the Commander. "We okay?"

Danny shook his head. "No." Steve nod again in understanding.

"But we will be."

The End.


	13. Epilogue

Disclaimer – I don't own H5-0, blah, blah, blah

A/N – I haven't forgotten about my other story, Nightmare of Reality. I lost my beloved grandmother last week and haven't had the time or the inclination to write. But today I found myself wanting to write something happy, so I'm putting the epilogue I had in my head for this story down on "paper". Hope you enjoy.

* * *

Steve tapped his foot nervously waiting for the elevator to lift him to the fourth floor. He stretched his left hand, which was still adapting to the weight and feel of the gold band circling his ring finger. As the doors opened, he began to emerge before being tackled by two small bodies. "Uncle Steve!" Grace and Cooper squealed, enveloping him in a tight hug.

"Too much sugar," Ray offered by way of explanation for the kids' enthusiasm. Steve laughed and extended his hand to the older man, who shook it before clasping Steve's hand with both of his own. "Room 412," he said with a tired grin.

"Thanks," Steve replied, returning Ray's smile.

"Okay, you two, let Uncle Steve go," Ray ordered, waving his hand toward the waiting elevator.

Steve bent at the waist and picked both kids up. He threw them over his shoulder, making Grace and Cooper howl with laughter. He stepped back into the elevator and deposited them carefully on the floor before offering them his best "stern" face. "Go burn off some of that energy, 'k?"

"Aye, Aye, Commander!" the duo replied, saluting Steve.

Ray groaned. "It's gonna be a long day."

Steve chuckled a reply and waved to the trio as the elevator doors began to close. He turned from the elevator and quickly surveyed the signs on the wall that would indicate the direction of room 412. He paused at the door to admire the colorful arrangement of flowers, bows and teddy bears adorning it. He knocked lightly on the door before pushing it open.

The sight before him rendered him speechless and caused his heart to flip with joy. Claire, sound asleep on the hospital bed, curled up against the body pillow she'd been using as support for the past several months. Danny in the rocking chair across from the bed, head balanced on one fist, eyes three quarters of the way closed and heavy with exhaustion.

"If you say she has my nose, I'll break yours," Danny threatened from the chair, not bothering to fully open his eyes.

"No kid should be cursed with that honker," Steve replied with a scoff. He crossed over to Danny and peered at the tiny bundle in his arms, deep in newborn sleep. He brushed a finger over the baby's porcelain cheeks.

"Steven John McGarrett, meet your new niece, Amelia Grace Williams," Danny said proudly.

Steve shook his head, his heart caught in his throat. "She's beautiful, Danno."

"She is, isn't she?" the detective replied with a wistful smile.

"And that's Claire's nose," Steve smirked, "Just in case you had doubts. How is she?"

Danny looked past Steve for a moment to glance at his wife. "Tired. Doc was just about to call for a c-section when Lia finally starting moving. I guess she was plenty happy in Mommy's belly." He stood from the rocking chair and gently passed the baby to Steve, who cradled her in his arms.

Steve inched the knit cap covering Amelia's head back, examining the silky blonde hair beneath it. "Guess it's true what they say about a headful of hair equaling heartburn for Mom," he said with a laugh.

"You'll find out soon enough," Danny replied with a grin.

"Don't go there, man," Steve warned. "Cath has to finish this tour on the Enterprise before she's stationed stateside. Can't even think about kids yet."

"Amelia will be good practice till then," Claire offered. Both men spun to face her. "Hey, babe," Danny said, dropping a kiss on her forehead. "You didn't sleep long."

Claire glared at him; then narrowed her eyes at Steve. "You two have to learn how to _whisper_ when people are sleeping. The kids were hopped up on sugar and adrenaline and _they_ managed to whisper. Why two grown men can't is beyond me."

"I was whispering," Steve countered with a smirk. "Not my fault you have super-mom hearing."

"I'm from Jersey," Danny added with an explanatory shrug.

Claire groaned loudly and pulled the body pillow over her face. "Go away," she commanded with a weak wave of her hand.

Danny laughed and reached to take Amelia from Steve's arms. He pressed a soft kiss to the baby's cheek before gently lowering her into the bassinet. After moving it closer to Claire's bed, he turned to Steve.

"Coffee?" the commander said as quietly as possible.

"Yes, please," Claire answered from beneath the pillow still covering her face and ear.

"Not for you," Danny replied. "But when I get coffee, I will get you one of those frothy, frappy, whipped creamy things you like so much, 'k?"

Steve laughed at the "ok" sign she offered before adding "and a hamburger."

"It's 9 a.m., babe. Nobody's making burgers this early!" Danny countered incredulously.

Steve chuckled at the couple and nudged Danny's elbow. "10 bucks says Kamekona knows where we can get a hamburger at 9 a.m."

Danny ran a hand over his exhausted features. "I would take that bet, but I know you're right and I've got diapers and stuff to buy. So you can take that ten bucks and buy my wife a hamburger."

"I can do that," Steve replied with a nod. He crossed over to Claire's bed and took the hand that was atop the pillow. She peeked out at him with red-rimmed eyes from under the light blue cloth. "You did good, Mama. She's as beautiful as you."

"Thank you," she answered with a soft but genuine, albeit exhausted, smile. "Now go away and get me a hamburger."

"Yes, Ma'am," he replied with a laugh, making his way to the door leading into the hallway just a step behind Danny.

The End.


End file.
